Thursday, September 17, 2015

We did not become bubble entertainers overnight. It was a gradual process that began with a few simple jars of bubble solution and hand-sized wands. Soon it grew into something else. A desire to hand craft bubbles for entertainment.

Multi-Spray Bubble Wand

I got the idea to start handcrafting my own bubble wands last year. My first design was the bubble spray wand. It sprays hundreds of bubbles in seconds with one gust of wind.

Hoop Bubble Wand

Then I designed the hoop wand that creates giant tube shaped bubbles and large bubble balls.

Tri-Ring Bubble Wand

My next creation was the tri-ring shaped wand that generates strong, long reptilian shaped bubbles and large bubble clusters.

We were invited to a Fall Fest last week. The perfect venue to test kids reaction to the new wands. It was a crisp sunny day. I would be competing with enormous moon bounce playsets. One was three stores high. The question that would be answered: Which form of entertainment has the highest fun factor and keeps kids happily engaged longer, the moon bounce playsets or the bubble show?

By 3:30 pm families and their children began to spring from the office building doors and parking lots bursting with sounds of excitement and awe. Wow! Ooh! Yeah!

This would be our biggest bubble show to date. And what a show it was. Scores of kids came running from all directions to see the spectacle of glistening bubble clusters, gigantic gleaming crystal spheres floating in the air. They could not resist running over and gazing at the enormity of the glistening bubbles clusters,

Before we knew it there was a tactile hands on affair with bubbles wands waving and beautiful flying crystalline spheres floating everywhere, long tube bubbles and wonderful breezy bubbles sprays all in use by young children, pre-teens and the young-at-heart.

Event adults stopped by to eyeball the bubble floats and try out our circle of brightly colored bubble wands.

Our tubs of bubble juice quickly became frothy tubs of soap suds as kids and parents dipped and shook and wiggled their bubble wands desperate to create their own bubble formations. Laughter and cheers filled the air. Everyone was living in the moment.

As the DJ played our favorite tunes, children could not resist dancing, prancing, running and jumping while reaching out to catch every flying bubble in sight. It was enchanting and wonderful to behold. A fall fest at it's best.

Friday, September 4, 2015

I would like to formally introduce a new bubble wand design I began working on a few months ago.I call it the tri-ring bubble wand.

It is in fact a hybrid of the Fubble Bubble Wand design. The Fubble Bubble wand is a fine bubble blowing wand if you know how to use it.

While many folks don't care for the floppiness of Fubbles bubble wand it does live up to it's advertised claims "Wave and flip to make Gigantic bubbles". Before using the wand I simply secure the floppy side with a tie so that it no longer flips. I love the fact that it holds it's juice well. It does not need to be hung to dry as do wands wrapped with cotton fiber and its made from a high grade plastic that does not easily break upon impact or bending.

But when it comes to entertaining a show needs more punch. It was time to take wand design and performance up a notch. Well, three notches.

The tri-ring bubble wand. My design of the tri-ring wand includes not one but three rings attached to each other using a silicon based molded ring connector also of my design. To produce a wand that is aesthetically pleasing each ring is of a different color. I chose colors found in the rainbow or prism which actually enhanced the natural iridescent, prismatic colors of the bubble allowing the wands intense colors to reflect off the surface of the bubble.

The performance of the three ring wand proved to be beyond my expectations. Make no mistake about it, Fubble Bubble's uni-ring bubble wand produces a very impressively long tube shaped bubble. Whereas the Tri-ring design creates three long tubed shaped bubbles connected at its central core which gives the bubble more core strength or backbone if you will. This I believe creates greater longevity of life and reliance when waving and maneuvering the bubble and helps produce longer length.

In addition I closed the gaps along the edge of the ring where the rings connect so that when blown the wand creates bubble bumps along the surface of the bubble tube. The result? A magnificent glistening, highly iridescent reptilian looking tubular bubble formation that is beautiful to behold.

To see the tri-ring bubble wand in action go to my channel at Youtube.com.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

As one who seeks to hone the art of bubble blowing I'm always on the lookout for new and fresh techniques as well as understanding the science of bubble blowing. That said much has to do with knowing how to wield the wand.

Bubble wands come in many shapes and sized. And when it comes to the materials one can use the sky's the limit. I have two preferences. Plastic wands wrapped with cotton fiber twine.

Don't skimp on using quality material. The better it's quality the better the performance when blowing bubbles. Synthetics are yield less than mediocre results. Natural fibers are outstanding.

Of late my favorite wands are my handmade hoop wand wrapped in cotton fiber yarn. It absorbs the juice and maintain a bubble film long enough to produce several bubbles with one dip.

Having said that, when crafting a bubble wand I suggest you focus on a wand made of plastic rather than one made of wire as wire will effectually rust or corrode and this can contaminate your bubble juice rendering it ineffective for bubbling.

Another factor to consider is the quality of plastic wands. You want plastic that is not too hard nor too thin. It should have some degree of flexibility and softness and thereby able to withstand impact without cracking or breaking.

I also favor a tri-ring or three-ring wand that produces amazing long tube shaped reptilian-like bubbles. In additional it produces a strong film and colorful surface. The number of tubes create
a more sustainable bubble mass with a longer life than single tube bubbles.

Lastly you need the hoop of the wand to connect to a stick. I find that t shaped silicon pvc pipe connectors do the job well. You can use a variety of materials for the stem. Garden poles, hula hoop tubing or water gun inner tubing.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Nothing is more fun than making bubbles in the back yard. The question is how do you make bubble juice to product large bubbles. There are two recipes that work well. Both are indoor/outdoor recipes. But they are also seasonal recipes.

Winter Bubble Juice Recipe

1/8 cup of Joy or Dawn
1/2 cup of corn syrup
1 Gallon of distilled water

Spring/Summer Bubble Juice Recipe

1/8 cup of Joy
1 tablespoon of glycerin
1 Gallon of distilled water

You will be able to produce both small silver dollar bubbles and large baseball size bubbles.

Weather

The more sunny and humid the better. Your bubbles will look stunning in the sun and last longer.

Bubble Wands

There are many shapes and sizes. A quick and easy bubble wand can be made using a vinyl coated hanger or pipe cleaner. Just cut it 8 inches long, shape the end into a closed circle with a 5 inch stem like the number 9. Dip it in the juice and blow amazing bubbles.